The Lightkeeper's Daughter Read Online Free PDF Page B

unable to speak past the boulder in his throat. What chance did this family have? He wished there was something he could do, but he hesitated to bring her into his own house. She might pass her disease on to Edward.
    He saw Miss Sullivan’s eyes swimming with tears. He had to help. He dug into his pocket and pressed all the cash he had into her hand. Fifty dollars. “I’ll see what I can find for the girls that isn’t so dangerous,” he said.
    “God bless you,” she whispered, her voice hoarse. “I had no food in the house.”
    “Can I pick up something for you?”
    She shook her head. “The girls will fetch groceries for me.”
    “I must go,” he told Mrs. Whittaker. “Good-bye, girls.” He fled the stink of sickness.
    Miss Sullivan and her dog followed him down the stairs. He noticed she was still fighting tears. “There’s no choice but to let the girls work in that shop,” he said, “but I’ll talk to Henry about finding a job that doesn’t involve the sewing machine. Mrs. Whittaker needs a good sanatorium for a few months. She might be able to work once she’s stronger, but she’ll never get well breathing in this air.”
    Addie kept her hand on the dog’s head. “God is always sufficient. We must pray for them.”
    “I fear God isn’t listening much of the time,” he said.
    “God is always listening. Sometimes things don’t turn out the way we want. But even when they don’t, God is always sufficient.”
    When they reached the first floor, she quickened her steps to exit the tenement, and he watched her draw in a lungful of air devoid of the smells permeating the building. The alley held other structures just like this one. How many other heartbreaking situations resided on the floors of these dwellings?

    Mr. Driscoll met them on the sidewalk. Addie gauged his expression and realized he wasn’t angry, just distracted.
    “Everything is arranged?” he asked.
    Lieutenant North shrugged. “Not really. It’s a sad situation.”
    Mr. Driscoll turned toward the carriage. “Might I offer you a ride to the manor?”
    His dark eyes never left Addie. “Thank you, but no. I have business at the bank to attend to before I leave town. Henry offered me a ride.” He tipped his hat to her. “I’m sure we’ll get a chance to get better acquainted tonight,” he told her.
    “Of course,” she said faintly. She watched him walk away and wished she could stop him. Nothing in her life had prepared her for the onslaught of emotion that churned inside her from the first moment she’d seen him.
    Mr. Driscoll offered his arm, and she took it. The streets were a muddy quagmire after the rain, and she lifted her skirt to clear the muck. A driver helped her into the carriage. She let herself imagine she was Elizabeth Barrett Browning about to embark on a journey. Or maybe Alice Roosevelt. She so admired the president’s courageous daughter. Someday she wanted to see far-off places like Alice did, and dig her bare toes into distant sands. In her daydream, the man at her side matched the man who had just left her.
    Josephine had worked to squelch Addie’s romanticism, but Addie couldn’t help it anymore than she could help the color of her eyes. “How far to the estate?” she asked Mr. Driscoll.
    “At the edge of town. Five minutes,” he said, settling onto the leather seat beside her. He cast a doubtful glance at Gideon. “You should have left that dog behind. I don’t know how I’ll explain it to Henry.”
    She tipped up her chin. “I wouldn’t come without him.”
    “Which is the only reason I finally agreed. But it was most unfortunate. Henry is sure to be put off.”
    “I thought Lieutenant North was my employer.”
    “He is, but Henry’s wishes are generally considered.”
    She watched the scenery as the carriage rolled through town. A drugstore and ice-cream shop looked interesting. She noticed a sign that said Mercy Stagecoach Company. Before she could ask, Mr. Driscoll pointed it out